And, whoa, maybe I can’t handle it!
Look at this 2014 Infiniti QX80 AWD sport-utility vehicle monster
they gave me for a week. Wow, what a
brute. It’s a rolling sovereign nation.
Starting price: $64,450. Mine
with a generous portion of luxurious goodies came to $70,095 on the bottom
line.
Yes, we’re in the rich fantasy class here, and once I was
driving the QX80, I quickly adopted the attitude of, “I’ve got it and I’m
flaunting it.” Nobody had to know that I
was test driving it for only a week.
Good times? Let me
tell you, mashing the accelerator linked to that 5.6-liter V-8 engine with 400
horsepower was a power trip worth remembering.
You get just a little push in the back and a mighty roar does eventually
make its way into the cockpit, but the real charge is the feel of this much
machinery moving that quickly.
Given that the front end of the QX80 looks capable of
knocking down a herd of charging bulls, nobody dares get in the way. I could get used to this.
From the cockpit, I’m surrounded by a sea of
comfort/convenience features and technology mind-blowers. Voice-recognition, heated 10-way power
driver’s seat, power moonroof, blind-spot detection, triple zone climate
control (it can seat up to eight, by the way) and the absolutely-must-have
Zagat Survey Restaurant Guide so I can zero in on the shortest route to by my
next $100 steak dinner.
Yeah, you start to think like that after you’ve been in this
SUV for awhile … five minutes in my case.
I’m also impressed with lengthy list of safety and security
features. The QX80 has enough of these
to make you wonder how anybody could get hurt driving the thing. And prospective SUV-stealers, don’t even
think about it. This Infiniti is going
nowhere without the fob-holding owner inside it.
Two things that were not impressive: fuel mileage of only 14
miles per gallon in the city and 20 mpg on the highway, plus a
way-too-sensitive lane departure-warning system. I know I’m getting grumpy-old as I’m
increasingly losing my patience with various systems warning me that my driving
is about to cause a disaster. But hey, can
you give me a break when I’m just easing onto a freeway exit ramp?
Bottom line, this QX80 is a giant-size luxury liner of the
highest order…royalty if you will. And while it might not be for me – or even
within purchase reach by throwing in my life savings – it is pretty incredible
for what it is. For the big luxo
SUV-loving set, it has earned an “A” grade for sure.
And spoiler alert: Infiniti already has unveiled the 2015
QX80, sporting a new exterior design and some interior refinements as
well. Just so you know, the 2015 version
remains large.
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